Close Your Eyes And Escape This Town
by follow-the-echo
Summary: 'She's starting to question whether the tension between her and King really is a mutual dislike after all' - Post 'Nuke It Out' onwards
1. Chapter 1

**AN: **So this started as a 700ish word drabble on Grace's thoughts post 'Nuke It Out', I started typing more and it got a slightly AU life of its own.

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Grace is overcome with shame as soon as they separate, not that she didn't enjoy it because she did far too much, but she definitely doesn't want to dwell on that so she hurriedly slips back into her clothes and leaves James bewildered on the beach.

After all she initiated it and now she's running away, well walking quickly because she still has some dignity. Clearly she had a brief moment of madness, she would love to blame it on the BZ but she's sure it's worked its way out of her system by now. She was on a major adrenaline high after the bomb scare and it was obviously enough to make her briefly forget her dislike of the SEAL.

Her feet decide to circle the island while she's lost in thought, probably a good thing because there's no way she's going anywhere near her people until her head is clear and the flush is gone from her cheeks.

She's starting to question whether the tension between her and King really is a mutual dislike after all, there have been many people she has come across in her line of work that she hasn't liked and some she has even downright despised but she would never have slept with them.

What possessed her? Ok she was surprised at how well they worked together to handle the bomb that did soften her attitude slightly and even before then, she left him to die which most people she's sure would never let her forget but he just made a joke and in doing so showed he forgave her.

She looks up from the floor when the terrain changes and realises she walked back into the town and not just any part but to one of the reasons she feels so shameful. The bar of James' island girlfriend.

Grace is not sure what the deal is between the two, sometimes when she's in the bar unnoticed she has witnessed tender moments between them which probably means there's more to it than them just sleeping together.

Luckily the town is asleep so she hurries away before anyone sees her lurking, that wouldn't look good and she doesn't need to give Tani more reason to be suspicious of her.  
She's seen the wary glances the woman has thrown her way whenever she's gone into the bar, Grace thought it was because she wanted to protect him from the Navy but now she wonders if maybe Tani knew something they didn't.

Hopefully the cool night air has got rid of the tell tale signs of her body by now so she heads back to the makeshift barracks to get some sleep. She would much rather be back on the Sub, at least there she knows there is no chance of seeing him until she's ready but it's far too late to make that trip now especially without raising any questions, so she's just going to bunk down with the rest of the crew.

She can imagine the looks on her Captain and XO's faces if they ever found out, Marcus' severe features lined with disappointment only noticeable to those that know him while Sam's open boyish face would be crushed by betrayal. This was the first thought in her head when she regained her senses on the beach, the reason she so hurriedly dressed.  
She idolises them both even though she's angry that they don't trust her as much as she trusts them, she understands and is still loyal to them and their cause.

Her mind won't clear as she tries to settle down in her bunk so she decides to allow herself this one night to think on the memories.  
James' aggravating but perfect little smirk, the feel of his hands in her hair and the way he made her feel more in one night then all her other relationships combined.

Grace goes to sleep with a smile on her face, for a fleeting moment letting herself feel like any of the other girls under her command, knowing that in the morning while she rises with the rest of them she will still be out of place.

The next morning Grace wakes up with limbs filled with a satisfying lethargy and a peaceful mind, she refuses to dwell on the fact that it's because one of her recurring dreams filled only by subconscious want has been fleshed out with memories.

She gets up with a resolve to no longer think about it, puts on her Lieutenants uniform and the persona to match and strides out towards the sub nodding at passing soldiers as she goes.  
She's got a story to make up and a Captain to convince, there is no way he isn't going to question why she's working when she's off shift.

Marcus lets it slide for three days before he calls her into his office.

"You wanted to see me Captain?" She asks sitting in the chair he gestures to.

"Why are you on my Sub Grace?"

"Sir?" She queries feigning confusion.

"Don't play dumb with me Grace, it's not your shift I want to know why you're here"

"I like working Sir, I was restless on the island"

"Listen Grace, I know an experience like the one you had can be daunting" he begins voice soft in the paternal way he sometimes uses "but you can't let it deter you from being on the island"

She doesn't respond as she has lost track of this conversation, she's pretty sure though that he is not referring to her and King so at least that's something.

Marcus takes her silence as an unwillingness to answer and so continues on.

"If you let them affect you then that's letting them win and I know you don't want to do that. I understand that you need some time to process it but I won't let you hide in here. You did good Grace, you kept your cool and helped disarm the bomb without causing a panic. You did us proud"

At that she can't contain a smile, after being on what felt like uneven ground with him it's good to hear and now she knows what he's actually talking about.

Though she's not sure him thinking she has psychological trauma is better than the real reason she's hiding out but she's willing to run with it.

"Thank you Sir and I won't let the incident stop me from participating in island life" That is at least partially true, she is willing to go back to the island just not any places he might be.

"That's good to hear, now get back to your post and when everyone switches over you're to go back to the island until your next rotation"

She stands gives a nod and goes back to her station, she's grateful for once that they are marooned this way she won't be made to see a mandated shrink.

She is glad to have been called out, by now she's pretty tired of her own behaviour.  
Hiding from someone is not who she is, she's confrontational by nature and she wouldn't have gotten this far without it, so she's going to go back to the island and carry on as normal, she will not hide from King but she isn't going to actively seek him out either.  
Far all she knows he probably wants to avoid her just as much, after all she isn't the one who will be filled with guilt when they see each other.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for the reviews, so pleased people like this story.**

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Back on the island everyone is in much higher spirits with the island thanksgiving and the news of the upcoming family visit, Grace is happy for everyone and pleased that its boosted morale but she can't help but feel bitter that the only person she cares about won't be on that boat.

Her dad is most likely locked up by now and she's still wracked with guilt over it, her mood isn't spectacular as she's looks over the food laid out so of course that's the moment when she eventually bumps into King.

He's trying to act nonchalant but its making him seem shiftier since usually they aren't seen having a pleasant discussion, ever. So maybe she snaps at him a little and questions him about Tani, before she realises that she's misplacing all her anger on him so softens her voice when she tells him

"She's nice and she really seems to like you" Deciding to leave it at that she walks away.

"Been known to happen" He adds cockily and damn if that doesn't bring a little smile to her face, thankfully she's facing the opposite way because his ego is big enough without him realising how easily he can make her smile.

Her increase in mood doesn't last long, Marcus telling her to be the defence in court for a crime she didn't ever want to think about again quickly squashes it.

On the plus side she doesn't see James again though she does feel distinctly awkward when she has to go to the bar to question Erita and she can feel Tani watching but if he's there he doesn't show his face.

By the end of the whole court ordeal, her nerves are frayed and her emotions are raw and a statistical retreat back to the sub sounds like the best plan she has ever heard.  
She can't say she isn't relieved to see Anders run off towards the tree line in full view of some angry villagers, she would not have been comfortable with him onboard and she's pretty sure most of the other women wouldn't either. Plus by essentially giving him to the villagers for their own brand of justice they have hopefully mended some bridges and should be able to peacefully go back on their island once everything has settled.

For now she just wants to sleep, the sub is full and the anger of the crew because of Anders betrayal is causing tensions to run high so she doesn't have any time to herself to sort through her emotions. She can't afford to fall apart here in front of the people she commands so she compartmentalises her emotions to think on later, luckily she isn't on shift and she happily collapses into bed.

The next morning Marcus deems it ok for everyone to leave the sub and in a voice just short of a command tells the crew that helping with the rebuilding would go a long way to repair the relationship with the islanders.

So she finds herself in the market place bright and early helping upright tables and picking up spilled produce, she's surprised to find the people so welcoming. It seems word must have spread about them letting Anders loose for island justice.

The day passes relatively quietly, the crew that came back with her to the island are spread out helping with whatever skills they have and move on to the next task when they're done. Everyone is dedicated to whatever they are doing and not wanting to disturb the tentative peace only talk with the people they are standing with instead of yelling across to each other like usual.

She spots James around an hour after they arrive, walking across the bar being careful not to step on the burned decking and looking out at all the crewmen below, he catches her eye and she nods to him in greeting and carries on.

She continues to notice him throughout the day as he works on restoring the bar and she is happy to see various sailors pitching in to help him and can't stop the thrill that runs through her when she walks past catching the end of one of her men telling a joke and him laughing loud and free.

The sun is starting to sink when she finishes up her last task and gratefully accepts the fruit offered to her by the woman she's been helping carry back the produce she stored in her house when the rioting had started.

Since it's a nice evening she decides to go for a stroll while munching on her apple, she's about 15 minutes in before her brain reminds her that no one is around and her emotions are still a wreck.

She had managed to put it to the back of her mind while keeping busy but now she remembers that the boat full of family is due any day and she's going to have to paste on a smile as she watches all the happy families when the one thing she could use after reliving her traumatic past is a moment in her dads arms to feel safe and protected.

Realising she doesn't know when she will ever get that chance again causes a sob to choke up in her throat that she tries to smother, her legs feel weak and she glances around seeing a boulder.

Sitting down she pulls her knees up to her chin, resting her head on them while hugging her legs.

She looks at her surroundings and notices she's managed to pick a pretty nice spot, the trees around her have thinned out and there is a lovely view of the waves crashing against the rocks a few feet away, it's as good a place as any to dwell on her thoughts.

She isn't sure how long she sits there before a voice calls out.

"Hey, are you okay over there?" she hopes that isn't who she thinks it is but she couldn't mistake that voice and really is she just that unlucky? She hears his footsteps come closer.

"Excuse... oh, Grace what are you doing here?" the confusion is clear in his voice, he must have thought she was an islander in distress.

"Thinking" She tells him shortly, hoping she manages to convey enough bitchiness to cover her emotion and get him to leave.

"At night, in the middle of nowhere?" She can hear the grin in his voice and she just knows he's trying to bait her but why he wants to argue with her is beyond her and she just doesn't have the strength for it.

"Yes its quiet, no one around easier to think" She tells him pointedly turning to glare up at him and sure enough there is a small grin curving his lips but whatever he reads on her face causes it to fall and she turns her head to look back over the ocean dismissing him.

"I can be quiet, you wouldn't even know I'm here" of course it isn't that easy to get rid of him and whatever angle he's playing she can't be bothered to figure out so she just moves over when he nudges her and sits beside her, her right side feeling his warmth from shoulder to hip.

True to his word, he doesn't say anything and she eventually loses herself in her thoughts once again and if it wasn't for the heat he's emitting she would forget he was even there.

She isn't sure how long they sit there before she zones back into the present with a deep sigh and feels him turn to look at her, wanting to stop him from the inevitable questions she decides to turn the tables.

"So what are you doing out here?" She shifts to look at him.

"Keeping fit, I do it at night so it's less busy. Don't normally see anyone hiding in the woods though" He says with a smirk.

"I wasn't hiding" She huffs indignantly.

"Really? What were you doing then because it sure looked like you were hiding to me?"

"I told you already I was thinking, it's hard to do that at camp you know. There is no space to have time to yourself and I..." She cuts herself off because damn him, how can he be so infuriating and get her to open up at the same time.

"And you what?" he queries softly and maybe it's the calm stillness of the night or the tone of his voice but she tells him.

"I'm expected to be strong, I'm third in command. I can't just go chat to my gal pals about my problems like the others, I can't afford that weakness there's too many people already gunning for me as it is" She finishes with a sigh and she isn't sure what response she expects but it definitely isn't the one she receives.

"Gal pals? What decade are you from" he responds with a stupid grin and it's such an out of place comment that it startles a laugh from her.

"Shut up" She laughs punching him in the arm, she's sure the goofy grin on her face matches his and she's unravelled herself from her defensive posture and she wonders if this was his reason for sitting beside her in the first place.

"Ow" He clutches the spot she hit with mock pain "you know you're pretty strong... for a girl" he adds cheekily.

"You're such a jerk" she tells him affectionately, letting it colour her voice more than she intended.

"You know, if you ever need a place to crash away from everyone else you're welcome to stay at the bar and I'll always have an ear free if you ever need a gal pal" he tells her warmly and the smile on his face is small but genuine.

Her heart is fluttering like crazy because as much as she tries not to let him get to her, his sweetness has her completely blindsided and she's overcome with the urge to kiss him but then what he said registers.

"You don't think Tani would mind me sleeping at her bar?" she questions him with a raised eyebrow, yes for a moment she had completely forgotten he had a girlfriend.

"If she was around then maybe but I think we split up last night, she had a bag packed and she told me goodbye and I haven't seen her since"

"Oh... I'm sorry" She tries to make it sound heartfelt, even though she isn't that sorry.

"It's ok, probably for the best anyway since well you know" he tells her rubbing the back of his neck and he sounds almost as awkward as he's acting.

Despite the fact that the move makes him look quite cute the tension is suddenly thick between them again with all the things going unsaid.

Since it isn't that classy to jump a guy who just told her he's been dumped she decides now is a good time to leave before one of them does something about the tension that doesn't feel completely resolved after acting on it the first time.

"Well I should really head back, don't want to get back to camp too late" she tells him standing up.

"Yeah ok, I need to finish my jog anyway" he won't look at her and she doesn't want to end what's been a nice night between them this way.

"James" That definitely gets his attention and his head shoots up to look at her "thank you... for everything" he doesn't respond but his face softens and she walks back to camp with her heart feeling lighter than it has done for a long time.


	3. Chapter 3

**This chapter is a merge of episode's 9 and 10 since there wasn't much interaction between our favourite characters in either episode. Thanks for the continued interest in this story, enjoy.**

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Like the day the families arrived wasn't going to be stressful enough, she finds herself taking over the XO's duties as the incoming boat gets hijacked and he informs them that he's going aboard to rescue his wife.

Her worry doubles when James steps forwards and volunteers himself and his men to help but a flash of pride goes through her at knowing that he's risking his life to help when he could just as easily do nothing.

She comes across him later in an empty section of engineering suiting up for the water, she wants to say something but nothing comes to mind. His back is facing her and she is contemplating slipping away before he notices.

"Enjoying the view?" He asks turning to face her and she isn't sure if it's the embarrassment of him catching her staring or the fact that he is shirtless in front of her once again that momentarily causes her brain to stop working, a slow grin blooms across his face when she doesn't answer.

"I'll take that as a yes" Damn like he needed a bigger ego.

"Well I was just going to thank you but now I'm seriously reconsidering it"

"Thank me, what for?"

"Helping the crews' families, it's going to be dangerous and you didn't have to volunteer" she tells him sincerely, that causes him to lock eyes with her.

"Yeah I did" he says seriously staring at her and then breaking eye contact to continue getting dressed.

She isn't sure exactly what just transpired in the look that passed between them but she's sure he was trying to tell her something important. It causes the jovial mood to disappear completely as he faces away from her in a broody silence.

"Just... stay safe ok?" She leaves the room before waiting on a response.

She goes straight back to her XO duties and tries to keep busy so as not to think about how wrong this whole thing could go for all the families onboard and the men going to help them, also keeping busy stops her from questioning why her usually tightly sealed emotions are surfacing more and more in the conversations between her and King.

Even though she's anxiously waiting for Sam to respond to her call she can't stop the relief that floods her when James answers instead, it's a brief call that doesn't deliver good news and her already sinking hope is submerged when she hangs up the call and sees the missile firing key hung on the door.

She knows exactly how this is going to look, the Captain will see her with the key and assume she couldn't go through with whatever plans he thinks she has and is returning the key to keep the families safe. Which she guesses is probably the motive for the key being returned by whichever crewmember stole it.

Even though she is expecting the look of shock and betrayal when she inserts the key, it doesn't make it hurt any less that Marcus assumes she took it.

She carries on like nothing happened and informs him that Sam and King aren't yet in position by coming up with some BS about them being tied up doing some jobs.

In the end it all works out ok, the terrorists are dead and the families are saved.

She hasn't seen King yet, she knows he made it back to the sub safely along with Hopper and Sam but as soon as they all come aboard the Captain and the XO go off to have a discussion, she is under no illusions that she isn't brought up in that conversation and judging by the glare sent her way she figures the safest thing to do is to stay at her post.

Once they hit land King and Hopper stalk off talking quite heatedly by the sounds of it so she goes back to the barracks to take off her uniform, folding her clothing is a simple task that helps soothe her but she doesn't get a long reprieve before Marcus finds her.

She immediately assures him that she didn't take his key though it irks her that he should even doubt her in the first place.

He informs her of the possible CIA mole and the information feels a little bit like trust and when he tells her to find the mole she knows in her heart that she won't stop until she has them.

The trust between them is fragile but there and she will do anything to help repair that bond.

That trust is shown to exist the next morning when she is informed that Sam and King are leaving the island to find Christine Kendal.

While she is thrilled that she is one of the few people who know about this covert mission she can't believe that both men are risking their lives once again after just returning and this mission is even more dangerous.  
They're leaving the relative safety of their little island and going back to the real world, where she has no doubt that both men will have a bounty on their heads and be in constant danger.

Once again she's juggling three jobs but this at least keeps her mind busy most of the time.

Though she tries not to, she can't help but wonder if King is going to return and a small part of her also wonders this about the XO but Sam is much more likely to come back to the island, he is loyal to Marcus and she isn't sure even his wife can shake that loyalty. James however has no reason to come back and she tries to let that sink in so that when only Sam and maybe Christine return she won't be disappointed.

She makes a judgement call about the COB by deciding to keep his secret, she can admit to herself that it's for a partly selfish reason. She wants his approval because his feelings are usually the crews and by winning him over she wins them over too.

She regrets her decision once the Captain is screaming at her about his whereabouts, she knew his story seemed shady but she went with it anyway.  
Luckily the COB appears and steps up to discipline the two crewmen, which she is grateful for because she knows no one wanted to be the person to flog them and she forgives his disappearing act, he's going to be haunted by this enough as it is.

That coupled with the whole China debate the Captain drags her into makes her really miss Sam, it's been tough taking over his duties and she's knows it's not a normal situation they are in but the whole thing has really put her off advancing to an XO position.

She's ready to sleep but when she gets back to the barracks the level of noise is much worse than usual.

There is normally a low level stream of chatter that she has learned to ignore but as she sits on the edge of her bed the thin layer of tent that can barely mask the usual island hubbub on a regular day is doing nothing to keep out the angry voices.

To put it bluntly the men are pissed, sure the corporal punishment has made everyone fall into line but it's won Marcus no favour among the ranks and she guesses that since she was second in command its probably made them hate her more too.

It doesn't help that everyone was so excited by the prospect of seeing their families again and it was deemed too unsafe for the boat to dock causing it to turn around and go back to the mainland.

Since they all know Marcus is onboard the sub they are letting their opinions be known to each other, loudly. She isn't sure whether they didn't see her arrive or they just care so little about her importance that they are letting her hear.

She scrubs a hand over her face and remembers the conversation between her and King, he did say she was free to sleep there and he obviously isn't going to need the bed right now. She sighs and stands, hopefully he will never know.

Figuring it's worth a shot she makes her way to the bar, it's fairly quiet away from the main camp and the sign is still up declaring the bar as closed.

She steps over the rope blocking the entrance and walks to the door at the back of the room behind the bar. She tries not to snoop, the only thing she wants to do is sleep not look through the rooms but she still accidentally walks into the bathroom before finding the bedroom.

She stares at the bed having a mini dilemma, she thinks about just laying on top of the covers but screw it she's already gone this far so she takes off her boots and unbuttons her shirt, folding it and placing it on top of her shoes because she may be tired but neatness has been drilled into her. Leaving her in a tank top and cargos she climbs under the covers, she expects to lay awake for a while since sleeping in a different bed usually takes her sometime to get used to but the bed is so comfy compared to what she's been sleeping on and as soon as her head hits the pillow James' scent wafts up, she must have picked the side of the bed he usually sleeps on since the smell is so fresh and it's just ridiculously soothing that she finds herself relaxing instantly and she would curse her sudden girlishness but she doesn't have the energy and then she's out like a light.

She only planned to have a short nap, a couple hours at most but when she wakes up the darkness of the room disorientates her for a moment, briefly making her forget where she is and she realises several hours must have passed.

She gets up and stretches, not feeling the usual pull of her muscles after sleeping uncomfortably. She stumbles around before finding a bedside lamp and illuminating the room, she quickly makes the bed and redresses and steps out into the hallway to peer out into the open bar area.

The sky is lit by the first watery rays of dawn and Grace is glad she's already dressed as she has slept far longer than usual and judging by the sun she should probably be reporting for duty in around an hour.

She slips from the bar and heads back to camp grateful that it's too early for the island people to be awake, she figures that if anyone asks she can just say she couldn't sleep so was out walking.

The sun is up and shining brightly when she spots a hooded figure making a beeline towards the Captain, her heart lifts when he comes closer and she realises its Sam but it immediately plummets when she sees the look on his face.

He brushes straight past her and once the Captain sees him they walk off together without speaking, she knows that the mission was hush-hush so doesn't take offense that he didn't acknowledge her but she can't stop the dread from bubbling up.

He looked pale and drawn so she knows that the mission did not go smoothly, something went wrong. Christine isn't with him so maybe she decided to seek safety in another country but that wouldn't cause the distress that she could see. King was also nowhere to be seen and she knows that he's the kind of guy to throw himself in harm's way to protect someone else.

Her focus is completely gone, all she can picture is all the various ways he could have heroically killed himself, for the rest of the day crew members inform her that she looks slightly ill.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: I meant to update this much sooner than I have done, so to apologise here is the longest chapter I've written for this story and we are switching to James for a change.**

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James knows he won't be able to sleep, the explosion is replaying in his mind on a constant loop and he can't stop thinking about what he could have done to save Sam's wife but he decides to try anyway.

As soon as he lays his head down he is hit with the smell of women's shampoo, he is momentarily baffled. He knows Tani wouldn't have come back and even if she did, she sleeps on the opposite side.

He's pretty sure she didn't tell anyone that she left so any islander just coming into the bar and sleeping is unlikely, he turns his head and takes a deep breath and the scent triggers his memory, he is assaulted by images of Grace on the beach.

The only way for that scent to have gotten here is for her to have slept in his bed while he was away, he never thought she would take him up on the offer.

The fact that she did while he wasn't around to ask makes him grin, he knows she has too much pride to ask but his own male pride is bolstered by knowing that she sought refuge in his bed.

Once he starts thinking about her in his bed he finds he can't sleep much.

So he gets up reluctantly and is grateful to find Koni behind the bar, one of the girls who works there occasionally who he asked to open the place up while he was away, he figures she has no idea that Tani isn't around but he doesn't feel like sharing that info since he has no idea what he's meant to do with the place, he's just been working to cover Tani since she pretty much left it in his hands but for now he greets Koni and is happy to get out and stretch his legs for a while.

The lack of sleep makes him feel irritable but he would have made a terrible SEAL if it showed, just the fact that he feels it at all shows that this island living is making him soft.

So he goes out to the market place and greets islanders and sailors alike, being at the bar has made him much less of an outsider and he recognises most people he passes but he can't stop his eyes from wandering to look for one person in particular.

He's out by a quieter area of the village when he sees her, a grin takes over his face and that's a reaction he's stopped analysing, he takes great pleasure in annoying her since it's so easy and he doesn't want to think about it any deeper than that.

He sees the exact moment when she spots him, there is no hiding the look that crosses her face and his heart lifts when he sees that it's a mixture of relief and happiness.

He realises in that look that not only did she assume he wouldn't be back but she might have believed he was dead. His male ego grows a little more at knowing that even if it's only slightly, Grace cares about what happens to him.

He plans on going over to tease her about sleeping in his bed but sees a sailor approaching her so figures she's busy, he'll get her later after all he has plenty of time to annoy her now he isn't leaving.

He wants to check up on Sam but after asking several members of the crew who all say they haven't seen him, he's pretty sure he doesn't want to be found at the moment.

"King?" he hears a guy call behind him. He looks to see one of the sailors, Lewis if he remembers correctly, coming towards him.

"The Lt. wants to talk to you" He controls his reaction at that since he's in front of one of her crew "She's shorefront by the sub"

"Ok thanks" He's going to go when he remembers a conversation in the bar between some of the guys "Hey Lewis? You serious that time you said you wanted to bartend?"

"Yeah man, I went to Bartending School but signed up when I finished college. Why?" James can't quite believe his luck.

"The bar is a little understaffed at the moment, so if you want and you're free later you can swing by and talk to the girl Koni behind the bar, tell her I sent you and she can set you up. A little extra cash when you're off shift if you want the job."

"That would be great, thanks"

"No problem" It really isn't he thinks as he walks to find Grace, in fact it's one less problem he has to worry about.

Her back is turned when he finds her.

"What you missed me that much you had to send a guy to find me? I'm touched"

Her usual scowl is in place when she faces him, well her usual scowl when she's dealing with him anyway.

"King, I need you to fix the welding on the sub to make her dive worthy" Well looks like she's in full lieutenant mode and there's not a trace of the joy he witnessed earlier.

"Please?" He fully intends to do it but it's always fun to rile her up.

If possible her scowl deepens further.

"We have drills we need to run which we can't do if she's leaking every time we go under" He just continues to look at her until she cracks "Fine, please"

"Why of course lieutenant, all you had to do was ask" He responds before walking past her to the sub, he whistles a merry little tune as he goes just because he can but he still hears her let out an annoyed groan as she follows behind him.

He's downright exhausted once all the welding is done and he can't even go to bed since Marcus stormed onboard earlier and demanded they set sail to keep an eye on the incoming Chinese boat, he probably could have gotten off but he hates leaving a job half done plus if there's any action he's in the middle of it helping out not just watching from the shore.

Right now though nothing is happening and to tell the truth the sub is pretty boring since Grace is busy so he goes to the bunks to get a bit of shuteye since he hardly got any last night, he finds a room that's out of the way and quiet and slides onto the bed pulling the curtain slightly across.

Sleep still isn't easy to come by so he decides to the read the book that's stuffed down the side of the bunk to pass the time, he's transfixed by the material until the presence of another person in the room jolts him into awareness.

He lies there listening to their deep breathing techniques and he's not sure what it says about him that he can recognise it's her by her breathing and the sound of her footfalls, he's got a good memory that's all.

He keeps his cool continuing to read while he informs her that's she's going to pass out if she carries on breathing that way but he's happy to see her, he's pretty sure by the tone of her voice when she asks him why he's there that he's managed to startle her, she obviously came to this room to collect her thoughts.

"He's seriously thinking about firing on an American destroyer" He sits up at that because one sentence in, this already seems like a heavy conversation.

When he asks her what she's doing here, he's genuinely curious about the answer. She seems like a good navy girl not one to completely disobey orders and mess up her career the way she is doing every time she follows Marcus.

He isn't expecting an answer and he doesn't get one as she continues to talk about the 'Patrick Lawrence' the distress is clear in her voice and face as she talks about destroying the ship, it's the same that he feels mirrored in him every time he's been given an order he doesn't agree with but knows there's nothing he can do.

He can feel the rage bubbling through him when he tells her the navy isn't big on nonlethal options, thinking back on that last order the one that started this whole thing and more fuel is being added at knowing Grace is going to have to live with ghosts just like him if that ship goes down, he takes a sip of his drink to try and curtail the anger.

He stops drinking when he sees the eureka moment on her face, when she steps past him and strokes the bomb he knows that she has a plan.

"What if we make it a nonlethal option?"

"You want to make it a dud?" He queries sceptically

"Not a complete dud, if we remove some of the payload then it will still fire enough to be a warning shot but not completely destroy the ship"

It's the conviction and hope in her voice that gets him to agree, her tenacity has always been one of the things that's drawn him to her. Plus it's a good plan and he doesn't want her to live with the guilt of innocent lives on her hands.

"Alright, we just need Marcus to agree" he's willing to back her up against him, he didn't miss the fact that she said 'we' and not 'I', it's another plus that he gets to work alongside her again.

"Ok let's do it" and with that she strides off leaving him to catch up, no discussion as to what she plans to say or even one to figure out how to make the missile less deadly.

Typical Grace, he shakes his head fondly as he closes in on her just as she rounds the corner and finds Marcus. She tells him they have a plan and that's all she says before she looks to him for support, his annoyance at her lack of plan is tempered by his ego at her trusting him, looks like it's time to lie out of his ass.

They blend seamlessly as he tells him the how and Grace reminds him of the why, of course once Marcus is out of earshot she pulls him up about his supposed munitions training, he should have known she could see through him and not to expect praise on his quick thinking but he's getting pretty used to it by now so he just follows her back into the room once she rolls her eyes and walks past him.

His head spins at her change of mood whenever she's near him, she's a different person once she's away from where the crew can see or hear.

Once he gets stuck into the missile everything else in the room fades out except for Grace who is by his side once again helping him in disarming something deadly.

It's a stressful situation and he knows there's a clock on their backs which doesn't help at all so he tells her about BUDS training.

"You seals never get tired of telling this story do you" Until that point he forgot there are other crew members in the room with them, until he's reminded by her cocky demeanour.

He decides to ignore her as he finishes pulling out the main explosive at that point and he needs to be deadly serious when he tells her not to drop it.

Once he's sure she has a firm grasp he goes back to closing up the missile and continues his story because even though he does like telling it there is a moral to it, if he just wanted to brag he would have mentioned that he was the last one in the water but despite what she thinks his ego isn't that big.

"He'll see this through to the bitter end, question is" and that's when the man in question comes over the comms and interrupts what he was going to say which was whether she was willing to die for him.

"We'll be loading tube 3 with the modified torpedo momentarily" she informs Marcus which causes him to throw a glare in her direction since he's the one actually putting it back together and he knows he needs a few minutes but the look she gives him as she says it shows how much she's depending on him and since he doesn't want to let her down he works quicker.

Everyone is on edge when Marcus tells them to load a torpedo and Grace defies the order, the good lieutenant not faithfully following orders? James can't help but wonder if he's a bad influence on her, he hopes so.

The dead air after she informs him that tube 3 is ready doesn't look good, you can cut the tension in the room with a knife, everyone knows Marcus is pissed.

Multiple people in the room sag with relief like the tension has been lifted from their frames once the torpedo has been fired and the opposing ship is only mildly damaged instead of incinerated.

James embraces the pride that flows through him when Grace blows out a sigh of relief and glances at him, he's pretty sure he looks smug but hell he deserves to be, once again they've shown they work well together and he can't stop himself from wondering if they will spend the evening the same way they did last time they diffused a bomb.

He wants to congratulate her but the other men in the crew choose that moment to try to do the same thing, only he's included in the praise too.

"Excuse me a moment while I go update the Captain" she informs them politely before leaving him alone with his new admirers.

He's pretty sure 'beg for forgiveness' is more accurate than an update on why she needs to talk to Marcus and he's curious to hear it so he thanks the groupies and manages to slip away.

He finds her just as Marcus does from the opposite side and makes a split second decision to stay out of sight.

He can hear only one raised voice and it belongs to Marcus, Grace's voice sounds more different than he's ever heard it, it sounds shaky and unsure almost like she's scared.

That just doesn't seem like the fearless lieutenant he knows so he peers round the corner to see what's going on and it takes almost all his strength to restrain himself from going over there and punching him.

Marcus has Grace by the collar pinned to the wall, no wonder she sounds shaky it's not every day your commanding officer who you respect uses brute force against you and that just makes his blood boil even more since he can see that she's loyal to a fault and this is how he repays that.

He knew Marcus wouldn't be happy with her ignoring his order the way she did but this reaction shows how clearly unhinged the man has become.

This really drives home the moral he was trying to get across, are you willing to die for a man who doesn't care what happens to the people who follows him.

The only thing that keeps him still is that Grace puts Marcus in his place by saying that she did it for him, that's his girl not letting herself be cowed by a superior officer.

He decides against revealing himself once Marcus walks off, he's pretty sure she needs the time to collect herself.

The sub is heading back so he'll catch her on dry land at some point, at least then there is less chance of being overheard.

He doesn't see her again for a few hours until she's off shift, he's behind the bar when she walks in and seats herself in the middle of it.

"Lieutenant, what can I get you?" He asks and he can feel the smile tugging at his mouth, it's just become a natural reaction to seeing her by now.

"Whatever can make me forget this day?" she tells him tiredly.

"Ah yeah, it's been a pretty unforgettable one" she doesn't know that he's including seeing the sight of her being pinned by Marcus in that category and once again he's angry at her going through all the shit that she does for a leader who isn't grateful.

He wants to bring it up but Lewis is on shift tonight and spots her once he finishes serving and comes straight over.

"Sir" he says saluting and that makes James happy, he knew he picked a good guy for the job and anyone who shows Grace the respect she is entitled to is alright by him.

"At ease" she tells him wearily, clearly she's had enough of being in charge today.

Lewis quickly rushes out an explanation of why he's there during which Grace just looks bemused.

"Its fine, whatever you do in your spare time is your decision plus we aren't exactly operating under normal rules here so if you want to earn extra money that's fine"

"Thank you Sir" Lewis grins before walking off to serve someone else but doesn't stray too far and that makes him see that there is no way he can have a proper conversation with Grace out here in the open where her fellow comrades are.

"Hey listen, do you want to come in the back? It's easier to talk in there" once it's out his mouth he realises that it sounds like a bad pickup line and he internally winces as he waits for her rejection.

"You have beer in there?"

"Does a bear shit in the woods?"

"Then lead the way" he's not sure if she was too tired to hear the innuendo or if her desire to talk just overrode her common sense but either way he's lucked out in getting her to actually agree.

Even though she's letting loose a little on her lieutenant persona, he still sees her glance around the bar to see if anyone is looking before she follows after him, once he's already left the room of course.


End file.
